News & Updates
AliveCor Inc. has closed a $3 million series A round led by Burrill & Co. AliveCor makes a wireless device that turns smartphones and tablets into clinical-quality low-cost heart monitors. The AliveCor device has not yet been cleared by the FDA and is not yet available for sale.
Physician community, Quantia, launches its’ second diabetes-related app, DailyCoach, a free mobile exercise app that provides tips on how to increase activity levels. The tips are delivered in short segments and integrate voice, text, graphics and images. DailyCoach also includes weight-tracking tools, ability to e-mail or fax summary reports to physicians, and health provider search.
Perhaps emulating its trans-Atlantic counterpart, UK health secretary Andrew Lansley issued a 6 week call for new ideas for health applications to help patients make informed health care decisions. Lansley also asked for UK residents to submit the names of their favorite existing health applications to www.mapsandapps.dh.gov.uk.
Researchers at the Dutch Institute for Applied Science, have developed a radar-based vital signs monitor that can measure respiratory and heart rate as well as motion from a distance of up to 10 meters without the need for attaching sensors to the body.
Occupational health and safety software company Medgate- the same corporation to power the OTCNetwork- partners with ReadyWireless to offer Medicaid members free cell phones enabling direct communication and wellness incentives.
Fifteen community groups across 26 California counties have received more than $5 million in funding to promote use of telehealth technologies in rural areas. Applications include remote specialty and critical care consultations, telemedicine health management, consumer-health education, continuing education, and health-care workforce development.
Stamford Hospital is rolling out new SmartRooms integrating real-time location service tags and bedside electronic medical records. Special software will sync a patient’s record with the clinician’s RTLS tag, informing patients of the physician’s identity and providing on-screen reminders of tasks that need to be completed by that physician.
VitalHealth Electronic Health Record has now been certified to support meaningful use. The EHR was designed in partnership between the Dutch Noaber Foundation and the Mayo Clinic.
Identifying another IT maven for its top position, Beth Israel appears to be honing in on Stanford’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Kevin Tabb, as its new CEO. Dr. Staff oversaw implementation of Stanford’s EMR system, and was previously president of clinical data services for GE Healthcare Information Technologies.
Health data from 300,000 Californians was unwittingly placed online on an unsecured website. The company that uploaded the information had intended it for internal use by employees but neglected to password protect the site and prevent indexing by search engines. Unsecured information included physician notes on patients’ health conditions, insurance documentation, and Social Security numbers. Read more.
The Department of Veteran Affairs is seeking vendors to test cloud based tools to advance lines of communication and scheduling.
The U.S. Army is debating the decision to provide tablet computers to medics in combat zones.
Researchers have unveiled a new skin-adherent sensor that patients can apply to their skin much like a temporary tattoo to record vitals. The results are said to extract more detailed, accurate information than other similar electrode attachments, and are also more comfortable for patients to wear over extended hours in areas that cannot ordinarily pick up signals.
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